SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL, BETA-CAROTENE, AND RETINOL PRECEDING THE DIAGNOSIS OF RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS AND SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

Objectives-Because oxidative damage has been implicated in the pathoge nesis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, this s tudy was designed to see if serum concentrations of alpha tocopherol, beta carotene, and retinol, substances believed to be involved in the prevention or repair of oxidative damage, might be lower among persons who develop rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus than among those who do not. Methods-For this prospective case-control stu dy, persons with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus that developed two to 15 years after donating blood for a serum bank in 1974 were designated as cases. For each case, four controls were se lected from the serum bank donors, matched for race, sex, and age. Sto red serum samples from cases and controls were assayed for alpha tocop herol, beta carotene, and retinol. Results-Cases of both diseases had lower serum concentrations of alpha tocopherol, beta carotene, and ret inol in 1974 than their matched controls. For rheumatoid arthritis, th e difference for beta carotene (-29%) was statistically significant. C onclusions-These findings support those of a previous study that low a ntioxidant status is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis. They sugg est a similar association for systemic lupus erythematosus.